


A Tale of a Pawn

by orphan_account



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Harry Potter is So Done, How Do I Tag, Morally Grey Harry Potter, Multi, Original Character(s), Slow To Update
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-06-25 16:33:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15644640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: A game. That was what his life was built upon. Years of being a pawn has certainly opened his eyes. Now with the war reaching it's peak, it was time to begin playing it his way.





	A Tale of a Pawn

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I have no ownership to Harry Potter... so yeah....

Harry Potter, a perfect little pawn. To be manipulated by the ones who played, but never actually played for himself.  His courageous and brash personality was molded into him, to be perfect in.

But he wasn’t…perfect that is.

Harry never understood, why restrict branches of magic when to him all magic was needed in order to balance everything. The British Wizarding government was doing nothing to correct their mistakes. They remained stagnant for almost a century, refusing to change while other places in the magical world did.

Now it’s the beginning of his sixth year and he’s finally had enough.

Sirius was dead, Remus was gone, and the Order was scrambling around like headless chickens trying to fight the unbelievably powerful Dark Lord and his Death Eaters. His best friends were ignoring him in favor of locking lips with one another and left him in the dark. He’s never been this lost and confused, even after the fiasco of their fourth year. At least then Hermione gave him some semblance of support, but Harry still saw a bit of her accusing brown eyes looking at him as he struggled to even stay alive.

He hated the way he acted, but he had no one to blame but himself. This molded personality was everything he built on and if he were to lose it, he was afraid of what would happen.

He was afraid of losing himself…and his sanity.

Taking a deep breath he gathered his scattered thoughts and regulated his breathing. Ignoring the whispers sent at his person, he walked through into a nearly empty platform. It was a ridiculously early hour, but the sooner he was away from his relatives the better it was for everyone. Another plus was that there were barely any people yet.

Harry settled himself into an empty compartment that was away from the rest of the population. The silence helped calm his nerves. Closing his eyes once more he placed his hands on his temples trying to relieve a migraine that was hitting him like a freight train.

Sighing once more, he ran his hand through his hair; it had grown longer and was now tied into a low ponytail at the base of his neck.  His spectacles also changed. They were now thin and rectangular, making his green eyes seem more vibrant. The old spectacles he kept as a memorabilia deep in his trunk with the other precious items he owned.

He reached into his trunk grabbing one text as he closed and placed it on the rack opposite of where he sate. He lost himself within the detailed description of the various properties of some obscure plants; he didn’t realize the door was opened.

The group stopped their chattering when they realized that the compartment was occupied. The two eyed one another and the amusing pause was enough to make Harry crack a little smile. One of them opened their mouth before Harry beat him to it.

“Why are you here? Slytherins usually sit on the upper end of the train.” Harry questioned, turning his gaze back to his book. If he looked up he would have noticed them exchanging looks before they seemed to come to an agreement.

The group of sixth year Slytherins, bar Crabbe and Goyle, sat around in his compartment, ignoring his questioning look as he looked up at them with a raised eyebrow.

"Why not, don't you want some company, _Hadrian?_ ” Malfoy responded next to him, dragging out an emphasis on his full name.

“Not particularly.” He deadpanned, earning himself a few chuckles from the group, Malfoy included. “Go away, you have successfully annoyed me, now shoo.”

This time the group all let out little chuckles and smiles, pureblood masks set aside for a small instance.

“No thanks, this compartment’s nice, so you're stuck with us until we get to school, Hadrian," Zabini commented, a slight Italian accent coming through in his voice. 

Sighing at the resolution in their eyes, his own rolled while he went back to his text.

Conversations started to flow around him. Malfoy, Zabini, and Nott were discussing their summer and what they were up to. The two girls; Parkinson and Greengrass were talking about the upcoming school year and who the new DADA teacher was going to be. Mindless, but also carefully controlled as Harry listened with one ear.

While the talking was happening, Harry began to absorb himself in his text, disregarding the glances that went his way when some of the topics spoken were starting to border dark magic and legislation of the dark sect. He remained impassive to the conversations and let them continue their babble. An unspoken truce sprang up between him and the Slytherins.

It was broken thanks to a certain duo slamming the door open, rattling the glass.

“Harry!” Hermione’s shrill voice broke through the nice tandem that the group was in. She automatically flinched from the stares she received from the Slytherins sitting with her friend.

“W-What the bloody hell are you doing sitting with the slimy snakes?!” Ron exclaimed looking like he wanted to grab Harry and run for it. His face pale and freckles standing out, Harry noted made him look funny.

He just sighed and gave the two a deadpanned look. Their loud voices were enough to increase his headache, so he turned away, going back to his book. He didn’t want to talk with them at the moment; it would only further incense them from the looks of it. Although it seemed unsuccessful as the two continued to try and get his attention, apparently ignoring the increased annoyance coming from the other occupants.

"Didn't I tell you two that Pansy and I would be the ones patrolling this side of the train. Go on back to the other loudmouths." Malfoy's steel voice cut through the two's futile coaxing. "Besides you both just seem to be annoying Hadrian here."

The couple quieted as they finally noticed how close Malfoy was sitting next to their friend, between him and the window. Hermione opened her mouth to comment, but Ron beat her to it.

His agitated voice loud and clear as he glared at the close proximity to their friend, "What the, get away from him Malfoy! Why are you calling him Hadrian anyway, his name is _Harry!_ ”

His comment drew sneers from the group. Malfoy just looked at the incensed redhead, his expression molded into a condescending smirk when Harry finally sighed and resolutely closed his book with a loud sound, drawing attention to him.

“I believe they are calling me Hadrian because that is my full name.” his voice cut through the tense silence: sharp and cold. “I am sitting here because I prefer silence and it helps clear my head”

“But why are you sitting with slimy snakes?” Ron questioned, once again refusing to filter his anger. His loud voice making Harry wince as the loud sound increased his pain.

“They sat here, I was here first and they just decided to sit here because it’s quiet and on another note snakes are not slimy Ron.”

Ron and Hermione both looked shocked, to them Harry was siding with the Slytherins and that couldn’t happen. He was their friend, and to top it off he was their gateway to their place in society. Harry noticed the look in their eyes; disdain and anger for standing up for the so-called enemy. He closed his eyes for a minute, a part of him unwilling to believe their behavior, but he couldn’t when he faced it.

A world of black and white was all they saw. An us versus them motivation, and Harry was getting quite tired of it. 

“If you two want to continue to act like children and think I am just going to bend and follow, then you two have lost your minds.” He commented, his voice flat and devoid of the usual yelling. “Get out. I am not a toy you can simply pull around at your leisure.”

Harry then turned away from the two; no longer able to stomach looking at them, gazed outside the window. He heard some shuffling, more statements, and a couple stunners before the door was slammed shut once again.

Turning back, he glimpsed Nott and Zabini returning their wands to their holsters while at the same time Greengrass was sitting down.  

“That was pointless, they would have left sooner or later," Harry remarked briefly, while he raised an eyebrow when the others broke their pureblood masks fully by laughing out loud at his comment.

“That’s all you have to say Hadrian darling?” Parkinson asked through her laugh.

“Would you prefer me coming in their defense, because sorry I don’t think I have enough energy for that.”

Chuckles continued as the laughter settled, the Slytherins all gathered their masks, but there were still smiles playing slightly on their faces.

"Oh, Hadrian we are going to get along famously this year," Malfoy commented amusedly as his arm settled itself behind his seat, lounging in a relaxed manner with the others following his example.

Shrugging at their behavior, Harry opened his book and the rest returned to their conversations, occasionally drawing him into making a couple of remarks.

“What do you think about this bill, Hadrian?” Nott outright asked him directly; the bill itself proposing taking away muggleborns from their families at a young age.

Tilting his head, his action similar to a bird, Harry contemplated the question.

On one hand, he is expected to act one way that was completely against the idea, whereas his real and actual thoughts were favoring it, just by a little. Looking at Nott, while noticing that the others were keenly observing him, he decided to answer truthfully.  

“It is an interesting bill.” Neither disagreeing nor agreeing fully with it at first, Harry continued. "Muggleborns, or first blood, are very stagnant and set in their views when they arrive at the school. Although they can be taught, it is very rare for them to stay after graduation."

Adjusting his frames, he gathered took a deep breath, putting careful thought into his next words.

“Taking them as children, it would result in a rebellion, because regardless you would be ripping apart a family.”

“What would your solution be then, to answer that opposition?” Malfoy interrupted, his voice carefully neutral.

“Why not send them a letter earlier, when they first show signs of magic? Then give them a choice, whether to keep their magic or have them obliviated and bind their magic.”

“Never thought that the great Boy Who Lived agreed, or at least somewhat, with dark legislation” Zabini noted, the others agreeing at his statements.

“Who knew? You’re actually smart Hadrian.” Greengrass added to the conversation, her blue eyes alight with amusement.

Harry just shrugged at the comment before contemplating and musing. “Why not also send them to a primary school before Hogwarts, that way they can learn like the purebloods can,”

“I think you realize who we’re going to talk with about the legislation?” Malfoy asked as the others fell silent and looked at his reaction. 

Harry just stared silently before nodding. There was only one person who could’ve thought of that. He decided to ignore the elephant in the room and just remain neutrally impassive to it.

The rest of the ride continued the same as always, conversation flowing surprisingly well as the group sought to include him more into it as well. When it came time to change into their robes he excused himself, wanting to change in a more private setting.

The carriage bathroom was thankfully empty; he still placed a privacy ward around the door just in case. Turning to the mirror he looked into his emerald eyes, letting his magic wash over him as if he was removing an unseen layer surrounding him. 

The glamour fell off after a minute or so revealing a sharp contrast.

His body became thinner, his bones more visible, and dark circles became prominent under his dull green eyes. It was as if his life was removed from him within a small moment.

His pale hands ran across his gaunt face, feeling the hollows of his cheeks and the bones jutting out. The most frightening thing though was the scar. Not his famous lightning bolt scar, but the carved wound stretching from his right collarbone all the way down to his left bony hip. There were others, smaller and thinner ones too.

Overall a lifetime of beatings was etched onto him, permanently.

Sighing at his reflection, he tried to control his breathing at the revolting sight in front of him. He gripped the sink in an iron hold, he knew deep inside that it wasn’t healthy, but he couldn’t help it _. Hiding his truth with this lie was better than facing it._

Before he could put on his school robes, an indescribable pain ripped through his mind, making him grip the sink in order to keep him firmly set in reality. The pain retreated after awhile, when it did he gazed back into the mirror. He stumbled back in surprise as slitted red eyes gazed back at him. He stayed frozen, before quickly shutting his eyes and opening them back. They were green.  

Shrugging it off as his tired mind playing a trick on him, he put on his uniform. It lay very loosely on his unglamoured body, emphasizing his thin stature. He just stared at himself for a minute before letting his magic build his glamour back up.

Feeling more composed at seeing his healthy glamoured body; he brought down the ward around the bathroom and made his way back to the compartment. Sitting back down, ignoring the questioning looks he received, he took his book and placed it into his trunk with the help of Zabini who was sitting under it. Muttering his appreciation, he turned his head out the window content with watching the scenery go by. A comfortable silence fell within the compartment, as they got closer to the school.

All too soon they were at the platform, students quick to exit the train. As he stepped off, he allowed Parkinson and Greengrass to link their arms around his as the group made their way to the carriages with the other three following behind. He was too absorbed in walking that he missed the exchanged looks the two girls had behind his back.

Whispers were flying around and he knew rumors were going to flow like crazy the coming days. The carriage ride was filled with small chatter with Harry dragged into it once in a while.

As they reached the great hall he swiftly removed his arms from the two before starting to make way to the Gryffindor table ignoring the staring. Soft footsteps indicated that one of them was walking in his direction, made him turn to look apprehensively at Malfoy until he was only a couple feet away from him.

A hand was thrust between them, a similar gesture to their first year. Harry stared for a minute before a small smile appeared on his face.

“Thanks for the company.” He stated, his soft voice loud in the suddenly quiet hall as he resolutely shook the other’s hand. Nodding to the group he turned and made his way to the table as he heard Malfoy’s final statement.  

“Your welcome to come and sit with us tomorrow Hadrian.”

He raised a hand in acknowledgment as he continued to his table, where he felt the eyes of everyone following him. He sat with his Gryffindor year mates, between Neville and Lavender, nodding as they all exchanged their greetings. Once they died down, he noticed a certain couple absent from the table.

“Where are Ron and Hermione?”

“Haven’t a clue, we thought they were with you, to be honest.” Dean Thomas replied as the others voiced their negatives on their whereabouts.

“Well, whatever. I’m not their keeper, they’ll show up sooner or later.” Harry stated as he listened while the others talked about their summer break.

Soon the first years were led in and sorted into their houses. Harry just lazily watched the proceedings as he observed the teachers table, noting that there was a portly man sitting next to Snape. Snape himself though was occasionally watching him as the first years went to their houses.

During dinner, a nudge on his side had him looking at Neville. He gave him a questioning look as he followed his gaze to the entrance.

“Wow, Snape looks sort of like a cat that caught a canary.”

Harry couldn’t help but nod at the comment as their potions professor made his way swiftly out of the hall.  

“Wonder what happened?” Lavender questioned as the entire group agreed, their curiosity evident.  Harry noticed it wasn’t just them but the entire hall kept throwing glances at the door.

“You know Harry.” Neville’s comment instantly drew him to the usually timid boy. “I think that it’s great that you are talking with the Slytherins.”

Raising an eyebrow at the other, Harry was startled when the others said their agreement.

“Yeah, mate!” Seamus interrupted, drawing attention to him. “After all, they aren’t that off in their thinking. Plus inter-house unity and all!”

Harry just raised his eyebrow at the statement, before conversation dissolved more mundane topics. As the night went on, people were still commenting on how it was weird that Snape was still missing.

The dinner was coming to a close when the doors to the great hall opened up again. Snape walked in and made his way to the head table, but it wasn’t him that captured the student’s attention.

Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger all but ran to the Gryffindor table, the former was red as a tomato while the other had tear streaks flowing down her cheeks. Unfortunately, the only open space was at the end near the head table, where all the newly sorted first years sat. The two looked around before spotting Harry in the middle of their year group.  

When they were behind him and the rest of the sixth years, Hermione’s comment garnered her shocked looks.

“Harry, tell Neville and Lavender to move.”

Harry turned his body so that the two would see his questioning and surprised look.

“Why would I tell them to move, you two are the ones that are late.” Harry disregarding the fact that everyone, including the teachers, was observing the three. He could even feel the disappointed look Dumbledore was giving him.  

“What the bloody hell mate?! We’re you’re friends not them!” Ron exclaimed, his voice echoing the quiet hall.

Harry slowly stood up from his seat before turning towards the two. Crossing his arms, his head tilted as he observed with cold green eyes that glowed like the very curse he was known to survive.

“Friends?” his voice a whisper compared to Ron’s earlier grating voice. “Interesting choice of words.”

“Harry we-“ Hermione tried to interrupt before Harry’s eyes pierced her, making her close her mouth in a hurry. 

Harry just stared at the two as his eyes clouded with anger. "Fine then go ahead and sit in my seat, I wouldn't want to trouble anyone."

Turning away from the two, who had yet to say anything, he strode his way to the empty seats near the newly sorted first years.

Harry sat down at the empty space with the awed eleven-year-olds.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed the other sixth years nodding to one another as they stood up from their seats as well. Taking the silent signal, all the other occupants of the table shifted down. The result ended up with an empty gap between the fourth and fifth years in front of the two prefects.

Hermione was just staring, for the first time, with a confused look. Ron, on the other hand, turned even redder and opened his mouth probably to yell at them, but before he could an unexpected voice intervened.

“Sit down, Mr. Weasley. You as well Ms. Granger, some of us would like to finish their dinner tonight.” The strict voice of their transfiguration teacher had the two sitting down before she could scold them more.

The two practically quivered at the looks that they were getting. Slytherins were sneering, the Ravenclaws were analyzing, and the Hufflepuffs were whispering to one another. 

The students soon dissolved into a conversation as dessert was served to the others. Harry sighed at the looks being thrown his way, not just Weasley and Granger, but the entire hall as well.

Harry turned once again to eye the group he impulsively sat next to. The other sixth years drew the first years into their conversations, talking about classes and how they were excited to learn about my magic.

“Are you really Harry Potter?” An awed voice drew him back from his silent observation as he looked down at the first year next to him. Brown eyes gazed at him with awe and fascination as green eyes softened.

“Well, unless there is another person with that name walking about, then yes I am Harry Potter.”

His comment eased the anxious look in the younger one's eyes before he laughed.

"I don't know about that. C-Can I ask you a question?" The timid voice had him subconsciously softening and folding to the eleven-year-old.

"Sure you can, but what's your name kid?"

The young one smiled at him as he responded. “My name is Elijah Brown, but you can call me Eli. I was wondering if we could be friends?”

“I don't see why not.” Harry placated when Elijah, Eli, trailed off gazing resolutely downward and away from him. Eli looked back up, his brown eyes lightening at his acceptance.

“Although…” Harry held off his statement, watching the other boy tense slightly. “Are you related to Lavender Brown?”

Eli gave out a large breath as if expecting Harry to retract his statement. "No, I don't think we are."

"Just curious, finish your dessert before they take it away." Harry finished the conversation as Eli gave a final smile before turning his attention to his pudding.   

"That was nice of you," Neville commented, being the only one that overheard the small conversation. “He seems like he needed it.”

Harry hummed in agreement and the night continued, with the light conversations, and before long desert was finished and Dumbledore stood up to give his annual speech. He on the other hand just stared unseeingly at the headmaster, a headache coming full throttle that he quietly hissed in pain. Harry felt Neville place a hand on his shoulder in concern, but he ignored it in favor of bringing his hand to his temple as he muttered a couple healing spells under his breath. The pain subsided long enough for Harry to hear the last part of Dumbledore’s announcement.

“I would like to welcome our new potions master Horace Slughorn, while our very own Severus Snape will be taking the place of Defense Against Dark Arts this year. Please give them a warm welcome, and return.”

The hall was silent for a minute before scattered applause began to surface, mainly from the teachers and the Slytherin table. Harry himself abstained from clapping; preferring to keep his hands on his temples, soothing his headache.

“Now off you go to bed and please remember classes begin fully on Monday, so you all have the entire weekend to settle in.” the headmaster concluded as students started to mill their way out of the great hall towards their dormitories.

“Brace yourself, the shows about to begin.” Harry muttered under his breath as two groups of people made their way towards him.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> So I had this originally posted under a different title and writers name, but I took everything down when it started to interfere with my school. Now I've created a new account and posted it once more because hey I wanted to try and give writing one more go, so I've edited it and this is the end result. Still it's only been through my own editing, so I expect some mistakes. Any how tell me what you guys think about it? \\(^_^)/


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